Homosexuality, Christianity, Our Nation.

         Well, I finally feel I have sat around and watched from the sidelines for long enough.  Our nation is coming to such a crazy place...and Christianity is being dragged through the dirt at the same time.  This is in no way intended to offend...simply to give my honest thought and opinions on an issue that I feel is being inappropriately blown out of proportion without a simple, complete statement on what is actually happening.  I ask that if you are reading this, would you please just read it in it's entirety?  I know I am a nobody with no real impact on any of your thoughts...but I felt convicted that I haven't shared mine.  So, here they are!

     There are plenty of opinions flying around out there right now about Homosexuality and about Christianity.  I hear all of them all the time.  Some of them make me cringe.  You may be surprised to know that some of the ones that make me cringe the most are coming from the mouths of Christians who just don't know how to react so they react out of anger or ignorance...neither of which are very appropriate. 
          I am a Christian.  To me, that means that I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and, among many other things, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.  Everything in it is absolute Truth.  It is the only path by which I can find out the answers we all ask in this crazy life.  Those are some of my beliefs.
          So let me talk about this whole homosexuality issue.  I know that some of you who may be reading this are in fact homosexual.  Would you please just read on?  Don't write it off at this point.  I have been nothing but respectful to you for the entire time we have known each other and I think the appropriate response on your part would be to respect me as well in hearing me out if you find yourself reading this right now.
         Yes it is true.  The bible does in fact say that homosexuality is wrong.  A sin even if we can use that term here.  Really, at the end of the day, if you truly read the words of the Bible and take them as they are, this fact is in-arguable.  The Bible DOES say that homosexuality is a sin.  If you read that and try to make a claim along the lines of "Oh, it doesn't actually MEAN that...it means this..." then you are on a very slippery slope.  If the Bible says one thing, yet means another, doesn't that throw the entire integrity of the book into question?  That leaves everything written open for interpretation.  That is not what is intended.  The Bible means what it says and says what it means.  So, that being said, Yes, I believe Homosexuality is a sin.
          The thing I hear most often in regards to the Christian perspective on homosexuality is that we are discriminating, full of hate, we view people as lower than ourselves, we don't love others and unfortunately, the most common thing I hear is Christianity's perspective on homosexuality being equated to the civil rights movement and slavery.  THIS IS CRAZY.  I cannot believe we have arrived at this point.  It couldn't be more opposite.  If you share those thoughts, you do not have the entire picture at all.  Let me try to give an alternative view.
           Phil Robertson from the A&E television show Duck Dynasty, has recently found himself in a ton of trouble and controversy because he quoted a scripture from the Bible that included a negative view of homosexuality.  Here is that scripture:


                    Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.                                                                                                                     1 Corinthians 6:9-10


Pretty harsh right?  I want to point out 2 things about these verses...


               1.)  Please notice that although this verse does mention homosexuality as one of these serious offenses, does it not also mention a hoard of other things?  Of course it does.  Have you evert coveted something so strongly that it consumed your thoughts?  I sure have.  Have you ever had an idol of any sort?  Money maybe?  Especially at Christmas time right now?  Are you so wound up about affording presents for those you love this year that it is eating you alive?  Has money ever been an idol for you?  Running your life?  It has for me at times.  Have you ever been drunk?  Cheated on your wife?  Told a lie?  Gossiped?  Talked down to others?  I'm 100% sure that every one of  you reading this has done something in your lifetime that the Bible considers sin.  In fact, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that each and every one of you, myself included, will commit a sin TODAY!


          THE BIBLE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY....IT DISCRIMINATES AGAINST SIN.


               This is so important for us to understand.  The Bible does not think homosexuals are the worst people in the world, it thinks they are just like all the rest of us...hopeless sinners lost in a dying world.

                  2.)  Second thing to point out about these verses...This is not the end of the Bible!  Yes, it does continue on from here.  If you were to stop at this exact spot, you would be left feeling hopeless.  It doesn't.  Here is the very next verse:

              And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.   1 Corinthians 6:11

          You see, it's not all hopeless.  Just because we are all sinners does not mean that "God hates all of us and is completely rude and un-just."  There is hope.  Yes, even for homosexuality.

           That being said, here is what I think in response to this stuff.  Homosexuality is wrong.  Just like every other sin is wrong.  I absolutely DO NOT think that a homosexual person is any worse than myself. We are all in the same boat of sin.  I completely think that Phil Robertson would whole-heartedly agree with this statement.  There is NO WAY that he discriminates against homosexuals.  He thinks their lifestyle is a sinful one, because he is a bible-believing Christian and is thus required to do so.  But I guarantee that he doesn't exclude himself from that statement either.  Phil Robertson is a sinner, just like I am a sinner, just like you are a sinner, just like homosexuals are sinners.
           See what I'm saying?  The Bible is against SIN...not again HOMOSEXUALITY exclusively.  Our nation as a whole, and even our leadership to a certain extent, is making it seem like Christians are anti homosexuals...ABSOLUTELY NOT!  We are anti homosexuality as well as every other thing the Bible labels as sin.  That is it!
              I will not be rude to you if you are a homosexual.  I will not hate you.  I will love you the same way I love everyone else.  Yes it's true, I would appreciate it if my children did not have to be exposed to examples of homosexuality every where they turned in today's world....but again, that is totally indiscriminate.  I also would love it if they didn't have to hear cuss words or see half-dressed women on TV, or see a world in love with money...That's my opinion.  Aren't I entitled to that?  That opinion would never come out negatively towards any of you, it's just the way in which I believe is the correct way to raise my children.
            My main point is this:  Christianity does NOT hate homosexuals.  We do think homosexuality is a sin, just as every other sin, but we do not intend to discriminate against you or write you off in any form or fashion.
             The rest of the story is this:  Jesus Christ came to earth, became fully man, lived a perfect life, died on the cross in our place so that whosoever believes in Him could have eternal life.  You see God is Holy and Perfect...Sin cannot exist in His presence.  So we are all guilty and un-clean.  Again, we are ALL guilty...not just homosexuals.  Jesus loved each and every one of us so stink in much that He sacrificed himself to bridge that Gap.  All we have to do is receive that free gift.  Acknowledge it and receive it...and we are saved.
           Part of being saved is being sanctified, which means we can't just choose to go on living in our sin.  There must be a daily effort to rid ourselves of it at all costs.  So yes, offensive as it may sound, if you are homosexual and you receive Christ, you can't just say "Yes, I am homosexual and I am saved."  You have to do all in your power to let that sin go.  And I believe it will be something that you desire to let go once you experience the awesomeness of Jesus Christ.
           I know that is hard to read and hard to swallow for some people.  But please know, it is through the lens of LOVE, as is all scripture.  We can't candy coat it...it says what it says.  We are all in the same struggle.  The struggle to fight off our sinful nature.  Homosexuals fight just like non-homosexuals fight it.

              The only political thing I will say in this entire post is this:  We are Christians.  Why are people so upset when Christians say what Christians believe?  Isn't that the definition of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion?  Christians do not get upset when people from other religions express their beliefs...so why can't we do the same without it being called hate speech?

            Christianity is about LOVE.  There isn't a single bone of HATE anywhere in the Bible.  If you are a Christian and you find yourself expressing yourself and your beliefs with a hateful tone, please re-consider your approach.  You are hurting much more than you are helping.
               
       Thanks for reading.


UPDATE:  I felt it necessary to address this as well...I know some of you will say it is offensive that I assume people choose to be homosexual.  My only response I can give to that is this:  I am basing all of my beliefs on what the Bible says, as most Christians should be doing.  According to the Bible, God is not a fan of sin, clearly.  The bible does state that Homosexuality is a sin, again as it does many other things, and because of that, I cannot believe that God would create anyone as a sinner.  We became sinners with the fall of man in the garden of Eden according to the Bible.  So, no, I do not believe those who are homosexual were born as such.  I believe that some people might have a stronger tendency toward it than others do, and I believe that some people's life circumstances have led them to that place un-avoidably even....but no, I could never say that God made a person to be homosexual.  Just as He never made a person to be a liar, or an adulterer or a murderer.  If those who commit murder were to claim that "they were just born that way" in a court of law, it wouldn't be acknowledged as an excuse.  Neither is the "I was born that way" argument a reason to permit any sin that is labeled as such in the Bible.
            My beliefs start and end with the Bible, which again, is something I am completely entitled to is it not?  Not intended to offend, just trying to bring clarity.

Front Men

well, I played a show tonight.  My first show as a "front man" if you will.  I have played music for thousands and thousands of people in my life....but always a background musician or while leading worship.  These things are very different than being the sole focus of people for entertainment!!!  Man is it difficult.  I gained a new respect for people who do this all the time.  I was horribly terrified for some reason.  I have done so much performing, and have never been as nervous as  I was tonight.  Wow.  The pressure a front man experiences is un-believable.  Hats off to all you people out there whoa re able to perform your own music in front of people.  I am in awe of you!   I learned tonight that I am a worship leader!  Amen to that

Music Breeds Confidence...Except NOT AT ALL....

So, I'm a musician, therefore, I am extremely confident in myself and my abilities as such....WRONG.  I have realized over the past year that I am so ridiculously self-conscious about my musical abilities.  This self-consciousness is highlighted especially when I am around other musicians who are also good at what they do.  It is such a curse.  I find myself consistently comparing my abilities to other's, and I always seem to fall short in my mind.  Why is this?  Man, I wish I knew.  I think maybe God knows I wish I knew....and I think He is trying to show me so that it can be fixed.  So, here is the story...

            I am playing in the coffee shop here at the church on Wednesday night after one of the worship services, Eikon.  This will officially be the first time I have ever played in front of people as THE thing they are watching for the sole purpose of entertainment.  I have played in front of thousands and thousands of people over the past few years, but pretty much every time it has been while leading worship, or simply playing electric guitar sort of in the background.   But this time will be different.  I am the entertainment.  This is a fact that brings great distress to my being!!!  How nervous am I????  But that is just the back-story....Moving on.........I am sharing the night with another guy here at the school.  This dude is a ridiculously talented songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, worship leader and just musician in general.  It's an honor to share the stage with him, but such a burden as well.  I can't help but have those feelings of "worse-than".  They are definitely here.  He is also having two other amazing musicians back him up, which just adds to it all!  But here is what happened tonight.....my self-consciousness was definitely peaking tonight.  I was thinking these sorts of things: "My songs stink!  they are just simple little worship songs....My voice doesn't even compare to his...i cant play guitar like those guys...etc, etc, etc...."  So I was having this conversation with my good friend David during all of this inner turmoil....and God showed up.  We were talking about all sorts of stuff, and the topic of "God In Worship" came up.  This sparked a thought in my head that, sad to say, was a unique one to me: "God In Music."   For some reason, I realized right then that God is why I like music.  I listen to music and I hear God.  Not guitar riffs, not voices, not tone, but God.  I want to do music because it is where God is in my life.  Now, of course that's not only where He is, but He is un-deniably there.  I have been worrying about all this stuff:  other people's abilities versus my own, other peoples opinions, other people's songs, the list goes on and on.  What i have not been worrying about is God in the music.  He hasn't left it...I just forgot to pay attention to Him.  I realized all this almost instantly and got so excited about it again.  Now, instead of being ridiculously worried about having to play my music in front of people and before a way better musician on Wednesday night, I am simply SO EXCITED about playing music so that I can see God in and through it!!  What a blessing that He is there!  I can't wit o fellowship with Him through it.  I don't care if I sing off pitch...I dont care if i miss a chord....I don't care if no one in the room likes any song I play...all I care about is that I am going to get to interact with God in our own special way.  Hopefully, through that, someone else will interact with God also.  After all, isn't that the point in leading worship?  My job as a worship leader is not to play the best quality music with the least amount of mistakes...it is to stomp out a path to the throne of God by going there myself and enabling people to follow my footsteps to Hi feet.  That is why I am excited about playing music Wednesday night!  Just me, my guitar, and my God.  Bring it...

What is a Christian Artist? (Accent on "artist"...?)

I admire artists....those people who are so in touch with their inner thoughts and inner creativity, that the out-pouring of those things is seemingly effortless.  Sometimes I like to think that I am one of those "artists"...but then other times I meet someone who is un-deniably one and find that in comparison to that person, I might fall incredibly short of the definition.  I am a musician, that is one thing I do know...but does that make me an artist by default?  I don't think so.  Here's a quick story.....The past two weekends in a row, I was fortunate enough to play in our churches main sanctuary worship service.  This was a great honor to me.  The musicians that play there weekly are of the highest level!  They are so amazingly good.  Way out of my league good.  I was like a 2 year old on stage in comparison.  So, it was an amazing experience.  but there is one guy who plays named Tony Z.  He plays the B3 Organ.  There aren't even words to describe how good he is at this instrument....the dude has played with everyone from Eric Clapton to BB King.  He is like a blues monster...un-real.  Anyway, I was only playing acoustic guitar in the services, so it wasn't very hard.  I had a lot of time to look around at the players in both rehearsal and the services.  I found myself watching Tony Z play the organ quite a bit today.  it is un-real.....The dude is playing with hands upside down...he looks like a spider with 8 legs (or arms...) playing the organ.  It's pretty much un-describable.  Point is...this guy is an artist.  The passion with which he ruled his instrument is un-matched.  He sat there and just went nuts.  I am not able to play my instrument or sing with as much passion as he has..at least yet.  It's just second nature to him....an artist.  

                 Anyway, point of that is this...after the service, Tony Z came up to me and said, "Hey kid, you did good.  I enjoyed playing with you." and I of course said "thanks so much!  it was an honor to play with you!"  then i said, " I loved watching you play.  you're so passionate about your instrument and about music.  It's inspiring."  He chuckled and said, "ahh thank you, but you know, i couldn't do it like that if it weren't for the Lord...He is the true artist."  How great is that?  This dude is clearly AMAZING at what he does....he has every reason in the world to receive the glory for this stuff and to know that he is an amazing artist.  But instead, he gives God the credit for being the artist.  That's awesome.  It makes me go back to my original question.  What is an artist? and a Christian one at that?  Well, the wisdom of Tony Z made me think about it...and I think maybe I am an artist.  If for no other reason, because God is performing his art through me.  God is the true artist...I am just the paintbrush.  And so are all of you who might be reading this...I know that's kind of cliche and anti-climactic...but it's what God is showing me.  If we can get in touch with Him living in us, then we have access to the greatest creativity, inspiration, talent, and everything else an artist needs!  Praise Him for that

Church, Love and London

Tonight I played electric guitar for worship at Plantation.  (A satellite campus for the church I am going to school at...)   This is a picture from the same church earlier in the year.  Im in the back by the cross...awesome huh? Anyway, the service went really good.  We had a bit of a mishap which is worth noting for advice's sake.  So we played this song called "Your Name," and we had an awesome loop to start it.  Problem was, the drummer forgot to reset the loop from rehearsal for the actual service, so when he pressed play, it started from where we had ended in rehearsal.  So naturally, this messed the band up pretty decently.  The singers came in at the wrong time, I didn't play the lead at the beginning which probably would have helped the singers come in at the right time, basically it was a mess.  Andrew Woodell was the worship leader, and he is pretty experienced.  Luckily, he was the only instrumentalist playing at the time (since I had totally neglected the part I was playing...way to go me huh?) but anyway, He was able to recover pretty seamlessly.  It was nice.  The rest of the song, and service was fairly flawless.  

Here's the lesson I learned from this...I think a lot of times musicians tend to put a lot of emphasis on playing the right notes and having the right tones and pedals and all that stuff, and rightly so because who wants to sound bad.  However, it's times like tonight when we make obvious mistakes that what I like to call the "real person" surfaces.  Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but I often see the human race as a bunch of actors who are parading around on this stage we call life.  I feel that there are few times when people are truly, truly themselves.  We always have some role hat we have to fulfill.  If we are teachers, we have to try our best to sound smarter than we are so that our students feel we are qualified to teach them.  If we are Doctor's we have to make sure our patients feel like we know everything there is to know about their bodies so they trust us.  if we are Pastors, we oftentimes unintentionally come across as a "better Person" than those in our congregation (another conversation altogether).  if we are musicians in a worship band, we often try to pretend like we are better players than we actually are so as to "not distract anyone from worship."  Now, don't get me wrong, I think it's a very good, and necessary thing to play as good as possible when leading worship to both honor God and to lead the congregation, distraction free.  But tonight when I messed up, I know it was caused by the Lord.  I wasnt worshipping at all.  I was just playing.  I was getting to use this Boss DD20 delay pedal as a demo and it sounded sooooo good.  I was so pumped.  I was attempting to worship, but it wasn't genuine.  When I messed up, i all of a sudden came down out of the clouds and became me.  I became the flawed Chance that I always am.  And it was perfect.  it was what God wanted.  He wanted to just meet with me and my flaws.  He wanted to hear my guitar playing, not because it was perfect, but because it was for Him.  Its a good lesson for us to learn as worship musicians...God isnt necessarily looking for the perfect lead or perfect tone or perfect pitch, but instead, He is looking for the perfect heart in worship.  Now, hopefully when we offer Him the perfect heart, He will meet us in the middle and help us to play to the absolute best of our abilities as well.  But man, we gotta get our hearts right if we wanna make the best music.  because like any other art, the best art happens when it's from the heart.  God is our muse as Worship musicians, and art requires a muse or else it ceases to be.  So, worship musicians, focus your hearts and your tone will follow!!!

Outside of that stuff, today was Valentines Day.  Hope you all had a happy one.  I did.  I spent the majority of it with my wonderful wife and dog.  I woke up early and went to pick up this arrangement of chocolate covered strawberries I got shelley.  I came home and gave them to her, she loved them and we both ate them!  Then she made us waffles!  We then watched one of my favorite movies ever...Sadly it is the movie "Notting Hill."  What a great love movie....It is set in London (hence the title of this blog) with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.  it was pretty much awesome.  I want to move to London and just walk around being in love.  My friend Jennie lives there (or lived there....) and I dont think she realizes how lucky she is (was.)  Anyway, great movie...everyone watch it and feel warm and happy!  We then went to Sonic for some drinks.  Shelley Loves Sonic....Then after church we ate at Pei Wei, one of our favorite restaurants.  Great day overall.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful wife! (and dog...)  Pretty much God has blessed me with a wonderful church, a wonderful family, wonderful friends, a wonderful love for music, wonderful boots, and wonderful bandanas.  What else could a man ask for?  Life is Good...

Blogland...

Here I am in Blogland finally.  I have found over the past few years that I have spent infinitely more time making fun of all you bloggers out there than I have spent pondering the idea of becoming one myself...yet, here I am.  I have arrived.  And i must admit, I'm pretty pumped.  I feel my eyes have been opened to the need to have somewhere to express my thoughts.  Not just all my thoughts, I have a journal for that, but specifically thoughts that might be uplifting or helpful in some way for those of you out there who feel like checking out this page every now and then.  I was un-knowingly inspired by my new friend Jonathan Clark.  (Many refer to him as crudbot...but I personally prefer Jonathan because: 1. It is actually the dude's name, not just a pseudonym that stuck because of his geniusly named band.  and 2. Because I really like, and respect the man...and calling him "crud" seems to not fit the person I personally feel I know as Jonathan)  Anyway, he has a blog.  It is awesome.  In the past couple of days, he has written some things in his that are sort of life-changing in a sense.  Even though his words were kind of specific to him, they ring true for anyone who reads it in their own way.  So..thanks Jonathan.  I appreciate.  Also, one of my teachers, Doug Farrar, "strongly encouraged" that we get something like this going to review our worship service experiences as they come to make sort of a resource for others doing the same things we are.  Long story short:  I am here and I'm glad to be.  I hope my thoughts can be both inspiring and informative.  So take that as you will and enjoy!  I look forward to reading more...and hopefully you do to.  

    Also, a fair warning...I occasionally enjoy trying to write as if I were a college professor or something.  but the problem here is, I am not intelligent enough to do so effectively.  So, I apologize for my non-sense that will no doubt rear its ugly face.....